Still Life: Techniques and Style: An Examination of Paintings from the Rijksmuseum [Paperback]

Rijksmuseum (Author), Arie Wallert (Editor)

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: B.V. Waanders Uitgeverji; 2nd edition (January 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9040093679
• ISBN-13: 978-9040093678
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,584,014 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still life paintings from the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam., April 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Still Life: Techniques and Style: An Examination of Paintings from the Rijksmuseum (Paperback)

This beautiful book is an intensive and visually enchanting examination of nineteen flower and still life masterpieces from museums around the world. This book was written in conjuction with the show presented at the Rijksmuseum, June through September of l999. Art lovers, artists, scholars, conservators and laymen will enjoy this journey back to the seventeenth and eighteen-century workshops of such artistic giants as Jan Brueghel, Jan Davidsz de Heem, Rachel Ruysch, Jan Van Huysum and more. Historical backgrounds of fifteen painters are featured along with technical information on supports (canvas, wood or copper), imprimaturas, under drawings, mediums, and paints. Beautiful color plates, artistic techniques, and scientific knowledge are shared.

Paintings by Jan van Huysum are examined through mmicroscopic analysis, made possible by the Molart Project. Such scientific examination tells us the chemical and physical condition of Huysum's paintings, and the methods he used to paint his beautiful still lifes. Such scientific examinations offers us a great amount of information that can be applied to artistic instruction, preservation or just good reading.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, November 5, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Still Life: Techniques and Style: An Examination of Paintings from the Rijksmuseum (Paperback)

This is one of my favourite books, although the title is a bit misleading. I saw the word 'techniques' in the title and thought 'hey great - a book that's going to give me some of the techniques of the old dutch masters'. Hmmmm. All I can say is; if you thought that as well, don't get your hopes too high.
This is a great book - beautiful illustrations (although only 17 paintings are covered so it's not an extensive collection of works), clear text and nicely presented. However it strikes me as being written more from the perspective of an art curator or researcher then an artist (like so many art books written these days on the 'greats' of the past). Thus it misses out on a lot of information that would be of interest to the painter and gives very few actual 'how to' details. To me too, the majority of the technical information seems to be stating what can already be seen in the close ups, or revolving around scientific analysis of pigment samples. The dead colouring, whether a portion of the painting was done wet in wet or in layers and what pigments were used, seems to be the only technical information really covered.
However this is still a great book - I totally recommend it. Overall, it has to be the most helpful still life painting book I own to date,(mostly because of the closeups and the quality of the paintings). So I would say, get it if you love old masters still lifes, it's worth it.

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for anyone interested in painting technique, January 13, 2010

By 

Lala R. (CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Still Life: Techniques and Style: An Examination of Paintings from the Rijksmuseum (Paperback)

This is a great book, with amazing technical information on the painting techniques of some of the greatest still life masters. The sources of the information are both the contemporary manuscripts and books (most sadly unpublished, which makes this book even more valuable) and the actual observation and analysis of the paint. There are some interesting cross sections and closeups. The illustrations could be better (and the whole book a bit bigger), but it is still, I suggest it to painters, restorers, paint-makers and anyone interested to know more about these gorgeous works.